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There’s no extra pressure, says ‘improved’ Caroline Wozniacki ahead of Australian Open
Caroline Wozniacki, who is a contender for this year’s Australian Open, first rose to world No 1 eight years ago and is back riding high at No 2 after a 2017 season in which she reached eight finals and won the season-ending Tour Championship.
A confident Caroline Wozniacki declared Saturday she was in the form of her life as she targets a first Grand Slam title when the Australian Open begins next week.
The Dane first rose to world number one eight years ago and is back riding high at number two after a 2017 season in which she reached eight finals and won the season-ending Tour Championship.
“I think I’ve improved everything (since first becoming number one),” Wozniacki said at Melbourne Park.
“I think nothing very drastic, but at the same time it’s small improvements all the time. That’s also what makes tennis fun. You’re never perfect. There’s always things you can work on.”
And she claimed she felt no extra pressure to win a first Grand Slam, despite rising expectations with defending champion Serena Williams ruled out after the birth of her first child.
“I don’t put more, I don’t put less pressure. It’s just the same, you know. It’s a new tournament, a new year.
“I’m healthy. I have the opportunity to play here. I’m just going to enjoy that, see where it takes me.”
“I never look at the draw. There’s always so many great players in the draw. For me, it’s all about just focusing on myself, taking it one match at a time.
“I only know my first-round opponent, and that’s how I like it, how I like to keep it. Then we focus from there.”
Wozniacki, 27, lost in the weather-disrupted Auckland Classic final a week ago to Germany’s Julia Goerges, after playing three matches in two days, but said she felt great on the eve of the season’s first Grand Slam.
“It was a lot of sets in one day at one point because we got rained out two days in a row. I’m not going to lie -- first tournament back, two matches (in a row) ... I feel it. I’m not 17 any more.
“But I think it was great just for the confidence, just to get the rust off. It was a good start to the year.”
Wozniacki faces Romania’s world number 57 Mihaela Buzarnescu in the first round.
